Aisha Buhari arrested Aminu Mohammed, beat him up, and threw him in jail
For the past two weeks, Nigeria’s First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. The President’s wife has reportedly ordered his Aide-De-Camp, Usman Shugaba, to arrest a 23-year-old student, Aminu Mohammed, for tweeting that she fed fat on poor people’s money.
The arrest had sparked wild outrage from Nigerians, especially, Nigerian students who criticized the First Lady for misuse of public power.
Aminu’s tweet
Aminu Muhammed, a final year student of the Federal University, Dutse, had tweeted that Aisha Buhari has eaten poor people’s money and she is now fat.
The tweet, which was posted in Hausa reads: “Su mama anchi kudin talkawa ankoshi.”
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The tweet was accompanied by a photograph of Mrs Buhari, and loosely translates as “Mama has eaten poor people’s money and is now full”.
Meanwhile, students who are close to Muhammed said Aminu had been depressed over the incessant ASUU strike which had kept him and his friends at home for more than 8 months.
Aminu’s arrest
However, on November 8, Muhammed was picked up by security operatives on campus and taken to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa on the order of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari.
There in Aso Rock, Aminu was beaten up severely, slapped severally, and thrown in jail.
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All these were orchestrated by the First Lady’s Aide-De-Camp, Usman Shugaba who is a senior police officer.
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Aisha Buhari fractures her leg
Information from reliable sources was that the First Lady had fractured her leg during the beating of Aminu. The reports had it that while Aminu was being beaten by her security operatives, the First Lady thought they weren’t really beating him enough and had joined in the beaten when she fell and fractured her leg.
Thereafter, she was rushed an Abuja hospital.
This was confirmed by the publisher of Daily Nigerian, Ja’afar Ja’afar, who noted that Mrs Buhari while attempting to kick the student, slipped and fractured her leg.
Narrating what happened, Ja’afar continued, “From my findings, it was not SSS but plain-clothed policemen who arrested & tortured a final-year student @aminullahie and another lady named Zainab Kassim (a former social media aide to First Lady). The operation was engineered and executed by Aisha Buhari’s ADC Usman Shugaba.
“It may sound like a fairy tale, but the following is actually what transpired: the duo were beaten to a pulp in the presence of Mrs Buhari by three security aides. While Aminu and Ms Kassim were being beaten, the First Lady felt that they were not beating them well, so she joined them.
“As she attempted to throw a kick, she slipped and fractured her leg. It was the injury she suffered during the assault that took her to Cedar Crest Hospital for treatment.
“While Ms Kassim was released on the condition that she would not speak to the press, the final-year student may face trumped up charges of defamation. This is sad for democracy.”
Calls for Aminu’s release
Well-meaning Nigerians and civil society organizations have spoken up against the incident describing it as a slap in the face of democracy.
They lamented how public office holders in Nigeria take the laws into their hands while denying ordinary citizens their rights to civil liberty.
On Wednesday, the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) demanded Muhammed’s immediate release.
The group also said it will offer free legal services to Aminu (without any legal charges.)
Reacting in statement by CUPP’s spokesman, Ikenga Ugochinyere, she said “the government and security agencies must release the boy from illegal detention so that he can join his colleagues to continue his examination.
“The CUPP is offering free legal support to the detained student to enforce his fundamental human rights to freedom of expression and freedom of movement and fight his illegal detention.”
Also, a Commissioner in the Police Service Commission (PSC), Najatu Mohammed joined other Nigerians to call for Aisha Buhari’s head.
Najatu lamented the apparent decline of law and other especially among the elite in Nigeria, saying, Aisha must be prosecuted and Aminu released immediately.
Speaking in an interview with Daily Nigerian, Najatu said that “Aisha Buhari doesn’t have the right to do that. In fact, she should be prosecuted for doing just that. She has taken the law into her hands. She has taken the place and the responsibilities of the commander-in-chief.
“Well, we as Nigerians are saying no to this tyranny. Enough is enough. Aminu must be set free. You had him abducted all the way from Jigawa, flown to Abuja on taxpayers’ money, and you had the nerve to even beat him, yourself! No wonder you sprained your leg,” Mrs Mohammed added.
Other Nigerians on twitter
Meanwhile, Mrs Aisha Buhari has not made any public statement concerning the arrest since the incident happened.